1812: The Navy's War (83 page)
223
General Brown led:
Wilkinson to Brown, Oct. 28, 1813, Jacob Brown Papers, Reel 1.
General Brown led:
Wilkinson to Brown, Oct. 28, 1813, Jacob Brown Papers, Reel 1.
223
On November 2 sloops:
Mulcaster to Yeo, Nov. 2, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:596–97.
On November 2 sloops:
Mulcaster to Yeo, Nov. 2, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:596–97.
223
“It is now blowing”:
Chauncey to Jones, Nov. 11, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:597–98.
“It is now blowing”:
Chauncey to Jones, Nov. 11, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:597–98.
223
he wrote to General Hampton:
Wilkinson to Hampton, Nov. 6, 1813, in John Brannan,
Official Letters of the Military and Naval Officers of the United States During the War with Great Britain, in the Years 1812–1815
(Washington City: Way and Gideon, 1823), 258.
he wrote to General Hampton:
Wilkinson to Hampton, Nov. 6, 1813, in John Brannan,
Official Letters of the Military and Naval Officers of the United States During the War with Great Britain, in the Years 1812–1815
(Washington City: Way and Gideon, 1823), 258.
224
People in Washington wondered:
J. C. A. Stagg,
Mr. Madison’s War: Politics, Diplomacy, and Warfare in the Early American Republic, 1783–1830
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983), 363.
People in Washington wondered:
J. C. A. Stagg,
Mr. Madison’s War: Politics, Diplomacy, and Warfare in the Early American Republic, 1783–1830
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983), 363.
224
Weeks earlier:
Hampton to Armstrong, Nov. 1, 1813,
American State Papers: Military Affairs
, 1:462.
Weeks earlier:
Hampton to Armstrong, Nov. 1, 1813,
American State Papers: Military Affairs
, 1:462.
224
Hampton assumed that Armstrong:
Henry Adams,
History of the United States of America During the Administrations of James Madison
(New York: Library of America, 1986), 759.
Hampton assumed that Armstrong:
Henry Adams,
History of the United States of America During the Administrations of James Madison
(New York: Library of America, 1986), 759.
224
Secretary Armstrong knew:
Armstrong to Hampton, Sept. 28, 1813,
American State Papers: Military Affairs
, 1:459.
Secretary Armstrong knew:
Armstrong to Hampton, Sept. 28, 1813,
American State Papers: Military Affairs
, 1:459.
224
On that day in October, Hampton:
J. Mackay Hitsman,
The Incredible War of 1812: A Military History
(Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 1999), 181–87.
On that day in October, Hampton:
J. Mackay Hitsman,
The Incredible War of 1812: A Military History
(Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 1999), 181–87.
224
In his reply to Wilkinson:
Hampton to Wilkinson, Nov. 8, 1813, Brannan,
Official Letters
, 259–60.
In his reply to Wilkinson:
Hampton to Wilkinson, Nov. 8, 1813, Brannan,
Official Letters
, 259–60.
225
The resulting Battle of Crysler’s Farm:
Donald E. Graves,
Field of Glory
:
The Battle of Crysler’s Farm, 1813
(Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 2000), 185–264.
The resulting Battle of Crysler’s Farm:
Donald E. Graves,
Field of Glory
:
The Battle of Crysler’s Farm, 1813
(Montreal: Robin Brass Studio, 2000), 185–264.
225
The following day, Wilkinson:
Graves,
Field of Glory
, 279.
The following day, Wilkinson:
Graves,
Field of Glory
, 279.
226
“language to express”:
Wilkinson to Hampton, Nov. 12, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 268–69; Wilkinson to Brown, Nov. 24 and 26, 1813, Jacob Brown Papers, Reel 1.
“language to express”:
Wilkinson to Hampton, Nov. 12, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 268–69; Wilkinson to Brown, Nov. 24 and 26, 1813, Jacob Brown Papers, Reel 1.
226
“we have and can have”:
Alfred T. Mahan,
Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1905), 2:116.
“we have and can have”:
Alfred T. Mahan,
Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1905), 2:116.
226
Prevost had mustered well over:
Graves,
Field of Glory
, 83.
Prevost had mustered well over:
Graves,
Field of Glory
, 83.
226
Prevost’s sizable army:
Reginald Horsman,
The War of 1812
(New York: Knopf, 1969), 126.
Prevost’s sizable army:
Reginald Horsman,
The War of 1812
(New York: Knopf, 1969), 126.
226
Fort George and Fort Niagara were:
Scott to Wilkinson, Oct. 11, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 241–44.
Fort George and Fort Niagara were:
Scott to Wilkinson, Oct. 11, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 241–44.
227
On December 19, Drummond:
Drummond to Prevost, Dec. 20, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:624–25.
On December 19, Drummond:
Drummond to Prevost, Dec. 20, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:624–25.
227
“bodies were lying”: Albany Argus
(New York), Dec. 26, 1813; McClure to Armstrong, Dec. 12, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 288–89.
“bodies were lying”: Albany Argus
(New York), Dec. 26, 1813; McClure to Armstrong, Dec. 12, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 288–89.
228
“They gave way and”:
Amos Hall to Governor Hopkins, Dec. 30, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 289–90.
“They gave way and”:
Amos Hall to Governor Hopkins, Dec. 30, 1813, in Brannan,
Official Letters
, 289–90.
228
The armies now went:
Pierre Berton,
Flames Across the Border: The Canadian-American Tragedy, 1813–1814
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1981), 303–14.
CHAPTER 19The armies now went:
Pierre Berton,
Flames Across the Border: The Canadian-American Tragedy, 1813–1814
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1981), 303–14.
229
“to proceed to sea”:
Hull to Burrows, Aug. 28, 1813, in
The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History
, ed. William S. Dudley (Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center, 1992), 2:233.
“to proceed to sea”:
Hull to Burrows, Aug. 28, 1813, in
The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History
, ed. William S. Dudley (Washington, DC: Naval Historical Center, 1992), 2:233.
230
The previous year, Blakeley:
Stephen W. H. Duffy,
Captain Blakeley and the Wasp: The Cruise of 1814
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2001), 95–98.
The previous year, Blakeley:
Stephen W. H. Duffy,
Captain Blakeley and the Wasp: The Cruise of 1814
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2001), 95–98.
231
“with an intention”:
Lieutenant Edward R. McCall to Captain Isaac Hull, Sept. 7, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:235.
“with an intention”:
Lieutenant Edward R. McCall to Captain Isaac Hull, Sept. 7, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:235.
231
“Our brave commander”: Eastern Argus
, Sept. 8, 1813.
“Our brave commander”: Eastern Argus
, Sept. 8, 1813.
232
“masts, sails, and spars”:
Hull to Bainbridge, quoted in
Eastern Argus
, Sept. 10, 1813.
“masts, sails, and spars”:
Hull to Bainbridge, quoted in
Eastern Argus
, Sept. 10, 1813.
232
The
Boxer
had four killed:
Lieutenant David McCrery, R.N., to Commander Alexander Gordon, R.N., Sept. 6, 1813, and Lieutenant Edward R. McCall to Captain Isaac Hull, Sept. 7, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:235–38.
The
Boxer
had four killed:
Lieutenant David McCrery, R.N., to Commander Alexander Gordon, R.N., Sept. 6, 1813, and Lieutenant Edward R. McCall to Captain Isaac Hull, Sept. 7, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:235–38.
232
“A great concourse of people”: Portland Gazette
, Sept. 13, 1813.
“A great concourse of people”: Portland Gazette
, Sept. 13, 1813.
232
The two young captains:
George C. Daughan,
If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy—From the Revolution to the War of 1812
(New York: Basic Books, 2008), 442; C. S. Forester,
The Age of Fighting Sail: The Story of the Naval War of 1812
(New York: Doubleday, 1956), 193; Henry Adams,
History of the United States of America During the Administrations of James Madison
(New York: Library of America, 1986), 816.
The two young captains:
George C. Daughan,
If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy—From the Revolution to the War of 1812
(New York: Basic Books, 2008), 442; C. S. Forester,
The Age of Fighting Sail: The Story of the Naval War of 1812
(New York: Doubleday, 1956), 193; Henry Adams,
History of the United States of America During the Administrations of James Madison
(New York: Library of America, 1986), 816.
232
“endeavored to screen himself”:
McCall’s charge in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:289–92; Sailing Master William Harper to Secretary Jones, Dec. 5, 1813, and Jones to Hull, Dec. 13, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:289–92.
“endeavored to screen himself”:
McCall’s charge in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:289–92; Sailing Master William Harper to Secretary Jones, Dec. 5, 1813, and Jones to Hull, Dec. 13, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:289–92.
232
The triumph of the
Enterprise
:
Irving Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief, 1812–1836
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1961), 20; Linda M. Maloney,
The Captain from Connecticut: The Life and Times of Isaac Hull
(Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1986), 232–34.
The triumph of the
Enterprise
:
Irving Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief, 1812–1836
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1961), 20; Linda M. Maloney,
The Captain from Connecticut: The Life and Times of Isaac Hull
(Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1986), 232–34.
233
Unfortunately, during the last six:
Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief
, 201–2.
Unfortunately, during the last six:
Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief
, 201–2.
233
“The wind increases to”: Journal of William Crawford
, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:217.
“The wind increases to”: Journal of William Crawford
, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:217.
234
He disguised his ship:
Ira Dye,
The Fatal Cruise of the Argus: Two Captains in the War of 1812
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1994), 267.
He disguised his ship:
Ira Dye,
The Fatal Cruise of the Argus: Two Captains in the War of 1812
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1994), 267.
235
Allen’s primary mission:
Dye,
The Fatal Cruise
, 254–55.
Allen’s primary mission:
Dye,
The Fatal Cruise
, 254–55.
236
Captain Henry Allen and:
Commander Maples to Admiral Thornborough, Aug. 12, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:223 ; Dye,
The Fatal Cruise
, 276–79.
Captain Henry Allen and:
Commander Maples to Admiral Thornborough, Aug. 12, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:223 ; Dye,
The Fatal Cruise
, 276–79.
236
“The victory of the
Pelican”
: Times
(London), Aug. 24, 1813.
“The victory of the
Pelican”
: Times
(London), Aug. 24, 1813.
236
The scandal of trading:
Annals of Congress, 13th Cong., 1st Session, 55, 485; Donald R. Hickey,
The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1989), 123, 373.
The scandal of trading:
Annals of Congress, 13th Cong., 1st Session, 55, 485; Donald R. Hickey,
The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1989), 123, 373.
236
The first two months of Rodgers’s:
Charles O. Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers: Captain, Commodore, and Senior Officer of the American Navy, 1773-1838
(1909; reprint, Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute, 1967), 265–66.
The first two months of Rodgers’s:
Charles O. Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers: Captain, Commodore, and Senior Officer of the American Navy, 1773-1838
(1909; reprint, Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute, 1967), 265–66.
237
All the Norwegians could:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 265–66.
All the Norwegians could:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 265–66.
237
They did so well:
Alfred T. Mahan,
Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1905), 2:223.
They did so well:
Alfred T. Mahan,
Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1905), 2:223.
237
Ironically, Rodgers was:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 268–69.
Ironically, Rodgers was:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 268–69.
238
One of Rodgers’s lieutenants:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 270;
Times
(London), Nov. 13, 1813.
One of Rodgers’s lieutenants:
Paullin,
Commodore John Rodgers
, 270;
Times
(London), Nov. 13, 1813.
239
“a particularly fine vessel”:
Beresford to Warren, Jan. 9, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:27.
“a particularly fine vessel”:
Beresford to Warren, Jan. 9, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:27.
239
“I made the best disposition”:
Warren to Croker, Oct. 16, 1813 in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:261.
“I made the best disposition”:
Warren to Croker, Oct. 16, 1813 in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:261.
239
In the end, Rodgers’s cruise:
Rodgers to Secretary Jones, Sept. 27, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:250–55.
In the end, Rodgers’s cruise:
Rodgers to Secretary Jones, Sept. 27, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:250–55.
240
“the channel is very narrow”:
Decatur to Jones, June 6, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:136–37.
“the channel is very narrow”:
Decatur to Jones, June 6, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:136–37.
240
“a quantity of powder”:
Master Commandant Jacob Lewis to Secretary Jones, June 28, 1813, and Hardy to Warren, June 26, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:161–62.
“a quantity of powder”:
Master Commandant Jacob Lewis to Secretary Jones, June 28, 1813, and Hardy to Warren, June 26, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:161–62.
241
David Bushnell’s famous
Turtle
:
Daughan,
If By Sea
, 102–3. 24
David Bushnell’s famous
Turtle
:
Daughan,
If By Sea
, 102–3. 24
1
the bomb the new submarine:
Jacob Lewis to Secretary Jones, June 28, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:161; Spencer Tucker,
Stephen Decatur: A Life Most Bold and Daring
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2005), 129.
the bomb the new submarine:
Jacob Lewis to Secretary Jones, June 28, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:161; Spencer Tucker,
Stephen Decatur: A Life Most Bold and Daring
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2005), 129.
241
“Decatur has lost very”:
Quoted in David Long,
Sailor-Diplomat: A Biography of Commodore James Biddle, 1783–1848
(Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1983), 48.
“Decatur has lost very”:
Quoted in David Long,
Sailor-Diplomat: A Biography of Commodore James Biddle, 1783–1848
(Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1983), 48.
241
By December 12, he was ready:
Decatur to Secretary Jones, Dec. 20, 1813, in James Tertius de Kay,
The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990), 86–87; Robert J. Allison,
Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779–1820
(Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2005), 135.
By December 12, he was ready:
Decatur to Secretary Jones, Dec. 20, 1813, in James Tertius de Kay,
The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812
(Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990), 86–87; Robert J. Allison,
Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779–1820
(Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2005), 135.
242
Connecticut Federalists did indeed:
Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief
, 233.
Connecticut Federalists did indeed:
Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief
, 233.
242
“Sir Thomas Hardy soon acquired”:
Frances M. Caulkins,
History of New London
,
Connecticut, from the First Survey of the Coast in 1612 to 1852
(Hartford, CT: Case, Tiffany, 1852), 631.
“Sir Thomas Hardy soon acquired”:
Frances M. Caulkins,
History of New London
,
Connecticut, from the First Survey of the Coast in 1612 to 1852
(Hartford, CT: Case, Tiffany, 1852), 631.
242
In the middle of December 1813:
Maloney,
Captain from Connecticut,
235–36.
In the middle of December 1813:
Maloney,
Captain from Connecticut,
235–36.
242
The
Congress
was the least:
Adams,
History of the United States
, 816–17.
The
Congress
was the least:
Adams,
History of the United States
, 816–17.
243
“dark nights and”:
Warren to Croker, Dec. 30, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:307–8.
“dark nights and”:
Warren to Croker, Dec. 30, 1813, in Dudley, ed.,
Naval War of 1812
, 2:307–8.
244
Porter was also occupying:
George F. G. Stanley,
The War of 1812: Land Operations
(Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1983), 163–65; Mark Zuehlke,
For Honor’s Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace
(Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2006), 211.
Porter was also occupying:
George F. G. Stanley,
The War of 1812: Land Operations
(Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1983), 163–65; Mark Zuehlke,
For Honor’s Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Peace
(Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2006), 211.
244
The war was going far worse:
In another disappointment for the navy in 1813, the schooner
Vixen
, under Sailing Master Thomas Hall, had been captured by an old nemesis, Captain Richard Byron and the
Belvidera
, on Christmas Day, off the Delaware Capes. Byron brought her to Bermuda as a prize.
CHAPTER 20The war was going far worse:
In another disappointment for the navy in 1813, the schooner
Vixen
, under Sailing Master Thomas Hall, had been captured by an old nemesis, Captain Richard Byron and the
Belvidera
, on Christmas Day, off the Delaware Capes. Byron brought her to Bermuda as a prize.
246
“Whilst Bonaparte was”: Times
(London), Feb. 3, 1814.
“Whilst Bonaparte was”: Times
(London), Feb. 3, 1814.
246
part of Frederick William’s army:
Alan Schom,
Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
(New York: HarperCollins, 1997), 655.
part of Frederick William’s army:
Alan Schom,
Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
(New York: HarperCollins, 1997), 655.
247
The allied armies were able:
Schom,
Napoleon
, 658–65.
The allied armies were able:
Schom,
Napoleon
, 658–65.
247
Instead of pressing his advantage:
Georges Lefebvre,
Napoleon: From Tilsit to Waterloo, 1807–1815
, trans. J. E. Anderson (Paris, 1936; reprint, New York: Columbia University Press, 1990), 330–31.
Instead of pressing his advantage:
Georges Lefebvre,
Napoleon: From Tilsit to Waterloo, 1807–1815
, trans. J. E. Anderson (Paris, 1936; reprint, New York: Columbia University Press, 1990), 330–31.
247
Bonaparte saw with great:
Schom,
Napoleon
, 665.
Bonaparte saw with great:
Schom,
Napoleon
, 665.
247
Shortly after the armistice began:
Lefebvre,
Napoleon
, 331–32.
Shortly after the armistice began:
Lefebvre,
Napoleon
, 331–32.
248
When the armies took:
Dominic Lieven,
Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace
(New York: Viking, 2010), 362–363.
When the armies took:
Dominic Lieven,
Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace
(New York: Viking, 2010), 362–363.
248
The Battle of Leipzig took place:
Lieven,
Russia Against Napoleon
, 458.
The Battle of Leipzig took place:
Lieven,
Russia Against Napoleon
, 458.
249
The
Bramble
also carried:
Castlereagh to Monroe, Nov. 4, 1813, and Monroe to Castlereagh, Jan. 5, 1814, in
American State Papers: Foreign Relations
(Washington, DC: Gales & Seaton, 1833–58), 3:621–29; Harry Ammon,
James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity
(Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1990), 325.
The
Bramble
also carried:
Castlereagh to Monroe, Nov. 4, 1813, and Monroe to Castlereagh, Jan. 5, 1814, in
American State Papers: Foreign Relations
(Washington, DC: Gales & Seaton, 1833–58), 3:621–29; Harry Ammon,
James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity
(Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1990), 325.
249
At the beginning of 1814:
Irving Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief, 1812–1836
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1961), 238–39.
At the beginning of 1814:
Irving Brant,
James Madison
, vol. 6:
Commander in Chief, 1812–1836
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1961), 238–39.
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